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Welcome in Episode two oh one, What's Right with Nick Right? This episode is brought to you by US Bank. If you ask me, nothing goes quite together like food and football, especially in the fall, college football on Saturday, college Football Playoff coming up, and the Pros on Sunday. The US Bank Altitude Go Visa Signature card provides the perfect way to earn rewards, whether watching your team with other super fans at a local leadery or in.
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Sidebar.
I don't think there's anyone in the media business that does better than I do at seamlessly going from the actual ad read to like a different voice and pacing on the fine print part of it. Copyright twenty twenty three McDonald's like I just.
Do it great. People might think that's recorded. Yeah, I do exactly.
I try to do what you hear, like in television commercials when they do when it's like they're advertising like a pharmaceutical and it's like a.
Man happy in a meadow, and then at.
The end they're like yeah, then at the end they're like you might poop your pants. But they want to say it real fast. But I just think I'm great at it. Uh, what a game last night. We'll get right to it. So demand's's here, by the way. I you know, I haven't introduced this show in a very long time.
My name is Nick.
Right.
If you're watching, you probably know it or the YouTube algorithms since you here, or you're sick of podcasts. You know what I mean that you thought we're gonna be about sports, that are just talking about the oddest sexual proclivities imaginable. So stumbled upon us. So if you're new, I'm Nick. I used to show on FS one called First Things First. You can watch it three pm Eastern every day on Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can see this
podcast on Tuesdays. You can also see me on Colin Coward television show about one oh five ish Eastern every Tuesday. Demanday is co hosting from Los Angeles. He's my son. He used to be here with me. He now works in LA for Fox Sports and does this with us Tuesdays and Thursdays. And the first two hundred episodes he was paid in experience. The next two hundred episodes, he will be paid in experience. All right, here's what missed the cut. Missed the cut for today's show, the Panthers
selling tickets for forty five cents. John Morant set to make his season debut. Luckily, the Grizzlies had his back. They went six and nineteen without him. So weird because if you remember the last couple of years, the Grizzlies actually had an identical winning percentage with or without Josh, So they kind of seemed like a team that maybe could survive his apps. Spoiler alert, they couldn't and Jillette
Stadium Booze Taylor Swift. How'd that work for them? I hope they enjoyed the Jared Mayo Drake May era as it is upon them. Okay, if they're lucky enough to get Drake may But where we've got to start is with Kansas City's own Drew Locke from least Summit Missouri. Now, I don't really get to claim Drew Locke because I have been hard on him in his career. He was really, really terrible for the Broncos for a lot of years.
But if you didn't and we're not gonna play, and we'll get to the game in just a moment, if you didn't see the end of last night's Monday night football game, the postgame interview Drew Locke does two and a half minutes with Lisassaulters. That is downright inspirational. And that means the only two noteworthy on field postgame interviews that I can remember the last two years have both
come from Seahawks quarterbacks. There's the Geno one from Game one, I think it was Game one, whenever it was last year. It was a night game when he said they wrote me off, but I ain't right back. Just an iconic bar from Geno Smith. And then Drew Locke with some really touching honesty. First he gave all the credit to his teammates, genuinely. Then he said he was like, it's been a long time since I've had a moment like this. He's like, you have human emotions, wondering can you still
do it? And then he had a really cool, almost accidental line where he's like, and then I got out there and I'm like, yeah, I'm still the man. And that's the thing that I think, you know, maybe we all myself included, and I promise will get to the actual game in a moment, forget about these backup quarterbacks or guys who once were starters who can't hack it and or you know, get relegated to the bench, or
guys who are just bad pros. And Drew Lock up to this point in his career, that's what he's been. Maybe this is a turning moment, fork in the road for him. Is at every other level, these guys, except for Tim Boyle, at every other level, these guys dominated. In high school, they were probably the most popular, certainly you know, best athlete, just absolute alpha icon. In college, they were one of the very best, if not the best.
They've known nothing but success and dominating. And I don't necessarily want to say things coming easy for him, but for a lot of them, things come easy for him, and then they deal with nothing but failure or disappointment or people point that they had always been the reason their teams were good, and then at the quarterback position, when these guys don't make it, they become the reason everyone thinks the team can't win.
It's like, well, you can't win with that guy, and.
That's okay, all right, Well that's except I mean, Trevor Lawrence, please lead to the division. Came off a playoff win. That's let's not let's not go there. Uh, listen to the guy's hurt. I mean Andy had a concussion to you, I mean the serious brain injuries you're making light of.
Guys. Come on, let's try to have some professionalism here. I'm just messing with you. De Monta he.
No, yeah, he is in concussion protocol, but I'm just trying to make you feel uncomfortable. But no, guys who they don't have any experience dealing with. Most of these guys have lost at various points. Trevor rarely did, but most of them lost at various points. But they have no experience of wait, I'm at fault here. People are blaming me, and then that's all they experience in the pros. And that moment for Drew Locke yesterday was phenomenal, was
not so phenomenal for Philadelphia and Demonse. That's where we will really get into the show.
Go ahead.
Yeah, so Philly just lost their third straight. Drew Locke obviously led the Seahawks to a game winning drive. Yeah yeah. So Jalen Hurts is hurt. Obviously, nobody else or no, not not hurt. He was sick. Say anybody else in the team was sick? Are the Are the Eagles on fraud to watch?
Yeah? When it comes super Bowl winner? Yeah, definitely right.
And so there's there's two buckets of concern for Philly. The first one is not gonna get fixed, and that's their defense. And this was This is a drum I have been beating for two years, but this year I have been hammering it. Can you hammer a drum? Last year I thought the defense was a touch overrated. Statistically, it was great, most sacks by any team in the
NFL since the Bears of the eighties. But when you dug into it, last year they had a their very soft schedule of opposing quarterbacks, and when they played good quarterbacks, those guys cooked and it really felt like if you could block their front four, you could do damage on them. And that then of course culminated in the Super Bowl, where the Chiefs gained literally every single yard they could possibly have gained in their second half possessions except for
the final yard, which they didn't want to gain. Instead they took a knee and they have that defense allowed thirty eight points. And now this year, no matter what category you look at, the Eagles defense stinks at it and it is if you want to do yards allowed, where are the Eagles in the NFL in yards allowed? The in total yards allowed, they are twentieth. In passing yards allowed, they are twenty eighth. In points allowed, they are twenty sixth. This is a defense on third downs,
they're bad. On red zone they're bad. They used to be a good run defense. Now the last month they haven't been that. And in the offseason, Eagles fans blame Jonathan Gannon, their defensive coordinator that did such a terrible job he got a head coaching job out of it.
They blame Jonathan Gannon and nobody shared. If you guys remember the somewhat awkward Hard Knocks or the knockoff version of Hard Knocks, whatever it is, the Amazon show, I shouldn't say not with the other of the alternative version of Hard knocks the Jonathan Gannon speech in training camp where he's like, who took the bus?
We got buddy, who walked? Who drove here? And it was like a weird thing.
Nobody shared that more on social media than Eagles fans. They're like, oh, this guy cost us a zooper ball. And then three months into this season, Sean Decigh, you're out of here, Matt, Patricia, you're in. And now after last night, Patricia, you left Bradbury.
On an island. What were you thinking? Guys, it's the personnel.
I know you don't like to criticize the personnel because Howie Roseman understandably is a golden god in Philly. But they're back seven personnel stinks and Darius Slade just had arthroscopic surgery, your best corner, so he's out. If they don't get to the quarterback, anyone can cook them, including Drew Lot going ninety two yards and two minutes to win a football game. That's not changing, that's not getting fixed.
And Philly fans tried to cope with it by like, oh, Kevin byertill change things.
No, he won't. Kevin Byrn used to be awesome. Now he's fine. Oh look out Now.
He got the maniac Shaq Leonard Darius Leonard from Indie Guys. Shack Leonard was at one of the greatest players in the league. Had a terrible knee injury and he was so bad and recovering from it, Indie outright released him. He was available to the whole league. He's not coming to save the day for your team. And so Philadelphia early in the year, they weren't playing great, but they were finding ways to win.
And it's like, Okay, that's their brand.
Now they're not playing great and they're finding ways to lose. And now you also look at the fact that these guys don't blow people out. Yeah, here's their games. Five point win over New England, six point win over Minnesota. And if you remember that game, Minnesota moved. I watched that game on an playing to take your sister to college. They moved the ball up and down the field and then couldn't stop fumbling, turning it over. They had one of those reached for the pylon fumble it turns into
a touchback. They beat the Buccaneers by two scores, Washington by three in overtime, the Rams by nine lost to the Jets beat the Dolphins by fourteen.
That's a great win.
Commanders by seven, Dallas by five, the Chiefs by four after the Mvs drop the Bills in overtime, then blown out by the Niners, blown out by the Cowboys, and.
Lost to Philly.
I'm sorry, lost to Seattle with their backup quarterback not being able to get a stop at the end. That defense is not getting fixed. You're just gonna have to hold on for dear life.
Then you have.
The question Philly fans don't want to ask right now, which is.
How good is Jalen Hurts? We know he's good. How good is he? And Philly fans are going to get mad? But the question that is.
Going to have to be at least considered is are we going to look at last year from Jalen as an outlier year? Are we going to look at last year as an outlier year?
Or is this year?
Oh, he's was banged up all year, some bad turnover luck. He'll get back to it because they paid him like last year was going to be the standard. And Jalen now tied with Josh Allen for league leading turnovers. I think Sam Howell as well, one of the I think those are the leaders has had a fumbling issue, is you know through another couple picks last night, and his numbers look very similar, not identical, but similar to the numbers of the year before his breakout season, and those
weapons are still there. So I am not writing off Jalen Hurts. I think he's too mentally tough, physically tough. I saw him cook in a Super Bowl. But I am also saying for Philly, you have one problem that is unignorable and is right now I think unfixable. In your defense, you hope that's your only problem, because if your other problem is you have a good quarterback but have planned on having a great quarterback, that's a problem
that's gonna have a long tail. And so now here's the other reality that it's easier to explain on the podcast than on the TV show. But when it comes to winning the division the right now, the the tiebreakers for within a division go as follows, divisional record followed by common opponent, followed by conference record, and then strength the victory. Okay, and it might go divisional record, then
conference record than common opponent, doesn't matter. If Dallas and Philly both win out, Philly wins the division identical divisional record, identical conference record, identical common opponent. Then it will come down to strength the victory. And Dallas famously, doesn't you know, they have beat up on bad teams. They don't have a lot of great wins except for the win over Philly. But Philly also beat Dallas, so those cancel each other out.
Philly would win the division. However, so if they both went out and may have the same record, Philly wins the division. Philly's the two or the and Dallas is the five. However, if Philly loses one of their next three, even if Dallas loses to Miami, everything I said about them having the same record, it flips and now Dallas wins all the tiebreakers. So follow me here, right, If
they both went out, Philly wins the division. But if Philly loses any one of their next three and Dallas loses to Miami, then same record, Dallas wins the division because then all of a sudden, Philly has an additional either divisional loss against the Giants or conference loss against Arizona, and Dallas would have a non conference loss against Miami. Okay, so Dallas's ability to win that division opened up significantly.
Yesterday.
Obviously, for the Cowboys that's massive. We'll talk more about them in a moment. And for Philly, oh boy, if they fall to the five seed demons, you know who they're gonna have to deal with. Oh, this would be a first thing's first dream. They have to deal with the winner of the NFC South. You know who that's gonna be.
Bake Show. Oh my goodness.
If Baker Mayfield at home cooks up Bruce super Bowl pick, oh, oh my, that would be next to the Chiefs winning a super Bowl. Like my ideal out comes this postseason. Number one is the Chiefs win a super Bowl. Number two, if I'm being honest, is that my month's long fading of purty comes through in spectacular fashion. Number three would be Baker Mayfield cooking up Brus super Bowl pick.
Oh. Nothing would be sweeter, Nothing would be sweeter.
You want Rock Perdy to win the Super Bowl? Is that what you just said?
No? I said, I know.
I said, my month's long fading of party coming to fading means going against.
Oh yeah, okay, And then they played.
All right, well you have a follow up here?
Yeah, Philly, I don't think Philly is going to lose another game for the rest of the season.
But uh, but they go Giants.
Hold on real quick because they go Giants Cardinals.
Yeah, whenst I mean, the Cowboys definitely have a way better chance of losing a game before the Eagles doing these last three.
I understand, as I just explained there, the Cowboys can lose to Miami and be fine if Philly.
Loses another game.
Rights, I mean right now, I mean they're ten point favorites against the Giants, and we'll see what they are against the Cardinals. I'll tell you right now, Kyler might be able to cook them up. Kyler might be able to make some hay on that secondary.
Now.
I just Philly, when your past defense is this bad, there's no game you're a lock for. You just lost to Drew Lock. And I know it's been the top of the show giving Drew Lock as flowers.
But that did happen? You lost to Drew Lock? All right, what's the follow up here?
Yeah, so last night Jason Kelcey was called advancing the ball before the snap happen off a week of offensive through that, did do you think Kadarius Tony of Press God Great, do you think do you think Kadarius Tony might have put the pressure on the refs to be consistent with that call, and now they're might have gotten the two push.
So here's the thing.
I I tweeted that there's a long tail of the Canarias Tony offensive off sides. During Sunday and Saturday's games, there were six offensive off sides called six There were three called the entire twenty twenty one and twenty twenty two seasons combined. So I do not think that's coincidental. I do not think that is random. I think the referees,
who are human did not like that. The face of the league and the best coach of the league and the discussion point of the league was about this penalty, and they were like, we're gonna e f and call it. We're gonna show you we care about this penalty. But then it extended to, all right, if we are going to pay this close of attention to detail the other thing,
and by the way, I'm gonna make a prediction. The next thing to come is, if you're watching that Eagles game last night, you're like, man Lane Johnson sure seems to get out of his stance and start his past block set a beat early every time, of course he does, and he has for his whole career. He's timed it perfectly. It's technically against the rules. The refs haven't called it forever.
They might start. But the other thing Jason Kelsey does, which is one of the reasons he's one of the best, if not the best center of all time, is on short yardage plays, he turns a fourth and one or a third and one into third or fourth and half a yard. He moves the ball forward a full half yard, which in a tush push scenario is incredibly valuable. And the referees dingdom on it last night, and I don't
think it's coincidental. I also don't think, as I said last week and people thought I was a Chiefs fan coping, any of this is actually good.
For football or football fans.
You can argue, at least with Jason Kelsey's penalty, his team's gaining an actual advantage. But I think the referees have proven to us they are not equipped right now, at all times to even do the most basic parts of their job, and now they're adding to it in a way that I don't think is helpful to anybody. But I think they're trying to prove a point, and I don't think it's coincidental.
All right, Next, so your Chiefs finally got back in the win column and they are now plus three hundred to win the AFC behind Baltimore. They beat the Patriots by ten points. The Patriots by ten points. Yep, is now the best time to double down on the Chiefs winning the AFC.
I mean it was probably would have been before this past week, maybe, but the odds are around the same. Here's the deal, as demands, sarcastically says, beat the Patriots by ten points, as I deal with the Wilds and Brew spending the entire show talking about what's wrong with the Chiefs.
All right, take the Niners out. Take the Niners out.
Who's the team in the NFL that you can confidently say has either less problems or is better than cant City. Tell me, are you gonna say Baltimore or A You're gonna say nobody? Is it Baltimore? You know what I'll give you Baltimore. Okay, I'll give you Baltimore. Take the Take the Niners in Baltimore out. Is there any team in the league that you can even make fine? An argument is better than Kansas City?
Is there is there? Honest question?
Uh? No, h I rank the one Okay, the one argument would probably have to be Dallas right now? Huh.
You want to make the argument for Dallas today, We're gonna talk about what Dallas did.
That you could.
So here's my question, because I think it would be I think it would be. I'm glad you said Dallas. I think right now, a fair power rankings might be San Francisco, Baltimore, Kansas City, and Dallas one through four. Right, San Francisco, Baltimore, Kansas City, Dallas. I think that some people would have those power.
Rankings, and I would say that's fine.
So if at worst the Chiefs are the third best team in football, do you think they are discussed as such? Do you think the Kansas City Chiefs, outside of my commentary are discussed like one of the very best teams
or a team in wild disarray? Do you think they are discussed like a true bonafide A level championship contender or even after going to Gillette and you said it sarcastically, they repeat the Patriots by ten points, took mercy on the Patriots took knees when they couldn't even run out the clock to not score thirty five on them, a team that everyone was talking about had the best defense in football the last month moved the ball at will?
Was that the discussion was it that Rashi Rice has come on to where he's going to be one thousand yard ten touchdowns as a rookie, or was it that they have one player on the team that keeps dropping the ball? Fifty three man roster. Do you think there has been more discussion over the last few weeks about Patrick Mahomes, the reigning.
League MVP and Super Bowl.
MVP, playing apex level Mahomes the last couple of weeks when he had in the first two months of or about the twenty eighth most important player on the roster, Karius Tony. I think it's pretty obvious what it's been. I think that the commentary surrounding the Chiefs, they are discussed at when we talk about the Chiefs offense. If I tell you right now they are top ten in yards and points, I think.
That shocks the audience.
It's like, wait, they're top ten and that's the thing we talk about being broken. If I tell you right now that the Chiefs have more production from their number one receiver this year, Rashi Rice, than they did last year. You'd say that can't be. They lost Juju, and Juju had three touchdowns last year three. You didn't have a thousand yards and so my frustration is a simple one.
They never get blown out. They have no coin flip wins and four coin flip losses, and we know those things even out, and all of the discussion is about what's wrong with them?
Now?
Did I do some of that to them by predicting to go twenty and Oh?
Maybe, but that ship has long sailed. They lost first game.
Of the year. I think that would expect seat Patrick Mahomes. You know, you got the greatest quarterback in the league right now on your team. Probably just expect them to blow teams out or do a little bit better, probably hold them to a higher standard. Just confused, Why what's taking so?
I guess so I so and again, But you said not really taking off of You ain't the third best team in the league. So if the standard is that, if they are not the far and away best team in football, something's wrong with them, then I'm here to tell you no team in league history would live up to that standard every single year, and then we get to Mahomes sover. So I'm glad you said that, because
here's the other part of it. If I were to tell you right now, Patrick Mahomes this season leads the NFL in total yards, is tied for fourth in the NFL and touchdowns. It has a career high in completion percentage, is fourth in the NFL. And QBR does that line up with the commentary? No, and he has more picks this year than in years past.
But yeah, go ahead, Yeah, I was about to say he's got a touchdown to pick ratio a little bit higher on the base, I guess.
So, I guess I would argue that you can't double dip the criticism. So are those picks because the wide receivers stink and that's the big problem for the Chiefs. Or is it that Mahomes isn't playing up to his standard? It logically, it doesn't quite follow that.
It's both. It's not the wide.
Receivers are doing Mahomes dirty and Mahomes isn't playing well enough. If you want to say, actually, Mahomes needs to play better.
The wide receivers are fine.
We can have that discussion, and if you want to say the wide receivers are doing him dirty, then we can have that discussion. But we are going to and Vegas agrees. By the way, the Niners are massive Super Bowl favorites, and then Baltimore and Kansas City are two three with it being very close, we're going to get to a place where by the end of the regular season, when all the dust is settled, by the end of the wildcard round of the playoffs, the Chiefs are the
favorites to win the AFC. And aside from on my show when I'm talking, the vast majority of conversations surrounding them all year has been what's wrong with them?
And I think that is misplaced. That's all. We'll see if I'm proven wrong.
Maybe, Like, let me ask this question, do you think there has been more positive commentary this season overall on the Kansas City Chiefs or on the Buffalo Bills, on Patrick Mahomes or on Josh Allen. Because one team is in ninth place and needs to win out to make the playoffs and the other on Christmas Day will clinch their division for the eighth straight year, it just doesn't quite sync up to me.
All right, now, okay, so, uh, your Cowboys are blown out by the Bills the other day. The Bills are officially not out of the playoffs. They are still in it, but like you said, they have to fight for their lives on Christmas Day? Yea, how could this have gone any worse for you? Do you? How do you feel about that?
I mean, it was especially now that Philly lost, because it's a blown opportunity for Dallas. They could have been solo first place in their division. They could have kept the pressure on San Francisco, where San Francisco would.
Have to keep winning in order to be the one seed.
Now, as far as the Bills, I mean I the Bills were called during this game the hottest team in the NFL. Before the game started, I should say, they were on a one game winning streak where they didn't even play well in the second half of that one game.
The Bills just continue to be.
A evaluated by a totally different standard than the rest of the league. Now, I don't think they're gonna make the playoffs. I also think if they were to make the playoffs, they are not this wildly dangerous team everyone else believes. But I've talked enough about the Bills. I am not shocked. I am shocked by the result of this game. I thought Dallas could put it on them. I was dead wrong on that, and I am shocked that Buffalo just decided.
To run the ball, run the ball, run the ball.
It worked great, and Dallas wasn't prepared for it. But I'm not shocked that the Bill's A game looks great. The Bill's A game has look great for four years. Their problem is their inability to string those A games together, and this year their problem now is in order just to make the postseason, they are going to have to string together six weeks of wins just to be in the single elimination tournament. So I think the Bills right now are wildly overvalued by my colleagues. But we'll see if I end.
Up being right about it.
It should be noted I've been the only person in the national media right about the Bills for four years now. Maybe this is the year everyone else is right and I'm wrong. But I've had this team pretty well pegged for four seasons in a row, and I know people want this team.
They remind me so much.
Some of the commentary about the Bills, except they don't have, you know, as many superstars as the commentary surrounding the nets when they had Katie Harden and Kyrie. People so badly want this team to be something it's never actually shown it can be for sustained periods of times.
Are just a really fun team to watch, is what I think is what draws people. I think they're games.
Yeah, they're exciting.
Games are really fun.
I totally agree, they're very exciting. They're exciting, but they're not as exciting as the Dolphins. And the Dolphins don't get a quarter of the love Buffalo gets, even though the Dolphins are ten and four and Buffalo is eight and six. And I understand Buffalo whooped the Dolphins ass when they played two months ago, but the Dolphins have avoided that the Bills haven't. Is egregious losses. The Buffalo Bills this year have lost games to Zach Wilson, Mac Jones,
and Russell Wilson. They tried to lose a game to Daniel Jones. And so this idea that they're gonna win five straight and surge into the playoffs, we'll see if I'm wrong. I don't think I will be. Now for the Cowboys. Obviously, if they don't end up winning the division, they do seem to be two totally different teams at home versus on the road, and that could be a big problem for them.
All right, last one, yo, So Trevor Lawrence, so you're Jaguars. They went up against the Ravens and Trevor Lawrence couldn't bring out the dub the turnovers or a problem per usual overthrowing. I actually placed a bet on Lamar ja as scoring to or getting two hundred yards, and I just needed your guy, Trevor Lawrence to lead a drive to make him have to pass it, and he couldn't do it. He just couldn't do it.
A lot of the blame by Lamar to have two hundred yards. I mean, he had plenty of possessions. Maybe Lamar should have just thrown for more yards.
But go ahead, JAG's making a game either or. Yeah, A lot of the blame falls on Trevor Lawrence, per usual, who is terrible with his fourth quarter turnovers. Do you think that there's a chance that Trevor Lawrence is just Josh Allen with good hair?
Okay, so listen, I actually think that's kind of unfair to both of them. I think it's unfair to Josh and that Trevor hasn't shown the A plus level sustained moments that Josh has had. And I think it's unfair to Trevor and that Trevor has not been a head scratching turnover machine over the last couple of years. Now, he played a very poor game on Sunday night. The fumble was ludicrous. He's just running and drops the ball. And even worse than the fumble was the end of
the first half. The end of the first half, when they don't get points, they win. It's fine, if you're not gonna spike the ball, you gotta throw it into the end zone. Now, what is true is Trevor was eight and three and the Jags, or the Jags were eight and three, and Trevor was rolling and they were scoring thirty plus on Cincinnati, and then he got the high ankle sprain, and since then he hasn't been quite
as good. Now, that doesn't excuse the fumble or the mental mistake at the end of the first half.
But I think that I think that the Jags have.
To be careful now that Trevor's in concussion protocol, because if he misses this week and they play Baker, they could lose. In all of a sudden, they probably won't be in first place in the division with Indy and Houston tied with him.
Luckily, for the.
Jags, they have the Panthers and the Titans as their next two and so even if they don't win the division, they can get to ten and seven relatively easily. And that's again where people are all high.
On the Bills. The Bills lost.
Head to head to Jacksonville. That's a tiebreaker that could come into play. They lost had dead to Cincinnati, that's a tiebreaker that could come into play. I don't think Denver's gonna get to ten wins, but they lost had to head to Denver. That's a tiebreaker that could come into play. Like those tiebreakers, the Bill's path is going to be they've got to win that division. The Bills path is going to be that they need Miami to lose to either Dallas or Baltimore and then to Buffalo
at the end of the year. That's the Bill's path, and I don't know that they're gonna get it. Now to the Jags, here's the fact of the matter. Trevor overall this year has been disappointing compared to what I thought he would be.
I thought he'd be an in VP candidate. He has not been.
I thought the Jags would win thirteen games. They have six losses already, and so that is. It was looking good. Trevor was starting to play his best ball. They were eight and three, He was starting to play better, and then all of a sudden he gets hurt and they have some really bad losses. Lost to the Bengals, the loss to the Browns and Joe Flacco when Trevor throws three picks when I don't.
Think he should play.
And then a game against the Ravens where I didn't think the Ravens defense played great and the Jags missed field goal, miss field goal, give the ball away on a terrible fumble.
Don't get points for the half.
They should add twenty points at a halftime, and they had seven or they had zero, Actually, pardon me, did they.
How many did they have at halftime?
I think they might have.
No, No, no, it was ten to nothing at half time because they hit the long touchdown to Agnew at the start of the third quarter. But they could I mean they missed two field goals, they fumble the ball in the red zone, they don't get points for the half.
All that's terrible, and so Trevor needs to be better. There's no denying then, all right, Brock Party is the overwhelming favorite for League MVP. We discuss it next. What's right.
Before we get to our game, demons, Let's do uh the MVP discussion right now? It's Brock Purty is a huge Vegas.
Favorite, huge Vegas favorite, especially because we got Dak and Hurts falling off. Tarik's miss time, so he's falling off. Yep. Brock Party is a heavy MVP favorite and he's minus two hundred to win. Now. Question is no longer will he win the MVP, it's who can even stop him from winning the MVP? So what do you mean.
His teammates or coaches talking is the only thing that can maybe stop him. Kyle Shannan was asked before this last game about Christian or Brock being MVP. He's like, I don't want to talk about one or the other, and then he gave a fusive praise to Christian McCaffrey and tepid praise to Party. George Kittle was asked straight up yesterday who do you think the league MVP is, and he said, I'd give it to Christian and this is where and so listen, I think Party's probably gonna win.
I would prefer the MVP not turn into the Heisman Trophy where the Heisman. It doesn't happen so much nowadays, but there was a time in the early two thousands when the Heisman Trophy was just all right, who's the best team in college football? Who's their quarterback? And Jason White and Chris Winky and Danny Werfel won Heisman trophies that they shouldn't have. I think Chris Winky won. Am I making that up?
Uh? The yeah?
I mean this is the did I make a no? He did win, so the Heisman Trophy. In fact, let me just go to it real quick. Heisman Trophy nineteen.
He is the quarterback for the most dominant team in the NFL right now, and he's got perfect passer rating games. I don't care, Like if you could, there are quarterbacks that you could put in there that are going to do worse. I mean that's obvious, but it's like not anybody can do what Rock Party is doing, and you're just making it seem like you could throw any quarterback.
What do you mean not? What do you mean not anybody? What do you mean not.
About I mean Zach Wilson probably couldn't go in there and do it. He wouldn't be.
No, no, okay, so I wanted Oh no, no, no. Of course, if you're saying so, you're saying there's only like like twelve guys that could do what brock Perty.
Gino Smith probably wouldn't be MVP on that team.
I agree.
I agree, No, but you you don't even think I'm saying that like they wouldn't. He wouldn't even be the m v P favorite right now, is what I'm saying.
I agree, I agree with all that. Do you think Kirk Cousins could be if you were healthy?
I do? Do you think that? I mean, honestly, what do you healthy?
On the on the on the night? Oh okay, they live fine. And and if and if Dak got the m v P and he was lee that dominant team, and I think he deserves the MVP.
Yeah, so listen, I am. I'm not arguing.
That I thought rock Perty actually made one of the best plays he's made.
All season.
In that Cardinals game, the throw to Debo, I think it was Debo was a Debo r. It was Debo in the front corner of the end zone, perfectly placed. Oh, it was an elite, high level throw. I'm not arguing that every quarterback in the league could play for the Niners and look great. I think fifteen could I do think that, And I think that ten would look significantly better.
And you might say, Nick, how could they look better? Well, they add a three game losing streak directly related to his play, like that happened, and we do a weird thing with like recency bias, Like Jalen is totally eliminated from the MVP discussion. Why because of a three game losing streak, totally out of it. Dax eliminated from it because of one bad game. Dak was the favorite and now he's out because of one bad game. But Brock had three in a row, but it was months ago.
I listen, if folks want to give the most Valuable Player award to a like, let me just I guess here's my question. Does anybody listening think Brock party. Let's just see. You don't have to check all of these boxes, But let's see if he checks any Does anybody think Brock Purty is the best player on his own team?
No?
Does anybody think Brock Purty is the most valuable player on his own team? I would argue, no, Does anybody think Brock Party is the most talented quarterback.
In the NFL? I would argue, No.
Does anybody think Brock Purty is the most valuable quarterback in the NFL? I would argue, no, does anybody actually think Brock Party is the best quarterback in the NFL? I would argue, Now, does anybody actually think that if the Niners replaced Brock Party with literally any other quarterback that will get a single solitary even fifth place MVP vote, they would get worse? So that would mean Tua, Mahomes, dak Lamar Jalen, those guys that the Niners would get worse.
I would argue, Now, does anybody not think that if you replace Rock Party with any of those quarterbacks then Niners would get better? Obviously, maybe not Tua, maybe not Toua, but everybody else. But I also haven't been promoting to his league MVP, but we're gonna make him league MVP. Okay, you guys have skipped the step. And this is what
is so baffling to me. If the conversation surrounding Brock Purdy had simply gone to Nick, are you ready to admit he's clearly better than Jimmy Garoppolo, I would have no choice. Clearly he is, Nick. Are you ready to admit he makes more wow plays than you thought he was capable of. I would have no choice but to
admit it. But instead we skipped every single step, and the conversation became, are you ready to admit he should win an award that over the last you know, half dozen years, has been won by Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Lamar Jackson, and Tom Brady.
That seems to me to be a bridge too far, But everyone else is cool with it. Everyone else, every other.
Let me ask one other question for every other MVP candidate, if they went down right before a playoff game, would you write their team off? Of course, for the Niners, not only would you not write them off, but deep down, if a.
Nin were asked, all right, we have to either lose.
Brock or Christian for this playoff game. Pick one, we have to either lose Brock or Williams.
No, that is not what we saw.
No, that's but that's not what we saw. What we saw was.
A game where Brock went down, then his backup got a concussion, who was their fourth stringer, and then they were out of quarterbacks. We have not seen the Niners play a game with I mean, we did see them play with Jimmy Garoppolo and Christian McCaffery, and in the games he started, they were undefeated, and Garoppolo at a one ten rating and looked like the best quarterback in football. But Brock's better than Jimmy Garoppolo. So listen, I'm not I'm I always say I'm sick of this argument, and
then I do ten minutes on it. I the we are going to give the league MVP award to a player that even his own teammates as of yesterday don't think he should win.
Okay, mate, so be it?
You think, Oh you think you think Kittle's the only one.
You think Kittle's the only one. Deebo went on a podcast saying that that he definitely should get it, or I don't know. That actually might not have been MVP thing, That might have just been a given respect type of thing now I think about it.
Yeah, well, listen, and I want to read you a quote. Hold on, let me find the exact quote. Gosh darn it, I have to find it or I'm going to lose my mind.
Here.
I want to read you a quote. Where is it? Because this is this is.
Why you look to be fair. You've got to pull in here asking it's party, the most valuable player on his team. Thirty say yes, sixty eight percent say no.
Yeah, but listen.
To be fair with you, I want to read you some quotes from Trent Williams and Christian McCaffrey. Okay, quote from Trent Williams. He's a baller. I don't know why that's ever been in question. Every time you see the man, all he does is win. He's a great teammate, he's a great dude. Just hate to see him get slighted all the time because I feel like he's such a good talent, such a good quarterback. He's the main reason we are playing that. Well, that's from Trent Williams. Here's
Christian McCaffrey. He's such a talented quarterback. He doesn't get enough credit in my eyes at all. He's a great leader, super smart, can make any throw, and just a great guy to be around. It's been a lot of fun to be able to pick his brain and mesh with him. Trent Williams went on to say, sorry, yeah, yeah, exactly, and then Trumps went on to say, when asked about the criticism he gets, it surprises me. I ain't gonna lie. He does everything right. He's not a knucklehead. He's a model,
a teammate. You can't get better than him. Just to see some of the people say that stuff about him, it sucks, but it's life.
Jimmy's a really great dude.
I oh, those were all quotes from last year about Jimmy Garoppolo.
Damn.
And I thought I was making a case for Brock Purty, but I misgoogled it. November twenty third, Trent Williams Christian McCaffrey surprised Jimmy g doesn't get the respect he deserves. Ah, damn, I'm sorry, that's unfair. I really thought I was defending Brock Party there. Instead, it's the same yeah I did. It's the same exact guys giving the same exact platitudes
about a player that, unlike Party. We now all acknowledge stinks and the same god Doog player that I had to argue with you same dopes about for four years.
Oh he's been to a super Bowl. When he's held, they win. Look at the numbers and the same thing I watched in this.
Game Sat Sunday that made brock Perty the MVP favorite, Christian McCaffrey, be schemed so open that he felled down, got up and still went into the end zone untouched. You know that play right, Bertie season Christian catches it, falls down, stands up, no one's around, and just walks into the end zone.
Go ahead, you said it yourself, though you already said it yourselves. This is different from the Jimmy Garoppolo situation being the parties.
He's better, he's better, that does I listen. Everybody has different standards and different tastes.
That's fine.
My standard for League MVP is not be better than Jimmy Garoppolo. If that were the case, where's the aid and O'Connell's support. Let's play the game. I'm not talking MVP anymore. I'm done with it. I'm done with it.
Stupid ahead. So we're playing a game today. It's called right ends we don't have any boards, so I'm pretty sure we're just gonna boards, all right. So first off, for starting with starting with Baker. Yeah, Baker went to Green Bay and became the first visiting quarterback to have a perfect perfect passer rating. The Bucks a leading in the NFC South, and their quarterback is so hot right
now that Belichick. Belichick had to roll his sleeves up to his hoodie to prove Tampa should build around him. That's Baker must that is That's a good one.
Just keep doing what he's doing. Keep doing what he's doing.
I mean, build around him is probably too strong. But could Baker get the Gino Smith contract this offseason? Gino got three year, seventy five million, forty million guaranteed.
Could Baker get that from Tampa?
Absolutely? Is he the best quarterback in the division hands down? Is he going to be for the foreseeable future? Well, let's think about it. Carolina is stuck with Bryce, so yes. Arizona is stuck with Ritter until they draft one this year, but they're not gonna have a super high draft pick, so yes. And New Orleans is stuck with Derek Carr, who's having the worst season of his career and is
only gonna get worse. So you're gonna have the best quarterback in his division in his prime, whose teammates a door, and who's been incredibly clutched this year.
Just keep doing what you're doing, Baker.
Next, the Bengals grinded out an overtime winvers the Vikings Saturday, after Drake Browning led three touchdown drives in the fourth quarter. Three Jeez, this guy is better than other backup quarterbacks, right. Jake Browning's future and Jake Browning's future in the NFL is blank.
Listen. I don't know right now.
It's hard to poke holes at him. I'm also gonna say something wildly controversial here maybe, and it's not about Joe Burrow. I think the best thing for Jake Browning might.
Actually be to not play again.
I think, like if Jake Browning like was, if he was, if they were like, oh man, he has a he needs arthroscopic surgery on his ankle, and he's out three weeks and doesn't play again, he maybe could be looking at millions of dollars like that.
Like Josh Dobbs wishes so badly.
That two weeks ago he could have been ruled out for the season, like some of these got and so I mean and Josh Dobbs all of a sudden is just gonna be back on moving from city to city, hoping to catch on somewhere. But there was a moment where it was like, is he gonna get a two year, twelve million dollar deal? As like a high level backup quarterback Jake Browning can't improve his stock, but if he keeps doing it, at some point, maybe you gotta be like, the guy's actually good, all right?
Next, wait, the Matt Flynn contract. Is that a similar situation?
Yeah, so Matt Flynn. Yeah, so Matt Flynn was before you were a football fan. But Matt Flynn was Aaron Rodgers backup in Green Bay Demons. Matt Flynn's thing was even wilder. So Matt Flynn was Aaron Rodgers backup in Green Bay. And going into the final game of the twenty eleven season, Matt Flynn had only played really really, he had only started one game in his career, and he had played well in that game. He had three touchdowns,
one pick, two hundred and fifty yards. Late in the twenty ten season and then the final week of twenty eleven, he was thirty one to forty four, four hundred and eighty yards, six touchdowns, one pick, and it was right before he hit free agency. And so the Seattle Seahawks were like, oh my god, he's he's our guy, and they gave him. Let me find it exactly, they gave him at the time. There's a lot of money, three years, twenty million, ten million guaranteed to come in and be
their guy. And that same year they drafted Russell Wilson, And did the Seahawks credit, They were like, Russell's better. Matt Flynn is not the guy, definitely not going to be the guy.
And he.
And they started Russell and he got his money and then the rest of the way, Matt Flin was just a career backup.
All right, next, All right, So the Bears blew it versus the Browns, but the wide receivers are still calling justin fields the quarterback of the future. Chicago's front office may not feel the same way, though, and they likely have two top five picks and cap space to rebuild around a top quarterback. The Bears offseason strategy should be blink.
Well, I mean, what they should try to do is see if Atlanta will give them a first round pick for Justin Fields. Atlanta probably won't do that, So maybe a second and a fourth for Justin Fields and then draft Caleb and then draft the best player available with their own pick or trade down from there from their own pick and just keep stockpiling. But they've got cap space. They got a draft Caleb, and they need Justin to keep playing well. He got kind of screwed over by
some drops there. He's still shown flashes where somebody will give up something for him. Right, Yeah, I don't know if he's good, but I think in the right circumstances he could be. He has good enough measurables, size, arm, talent, speed, athleticism and all the things that I that you guys kill me for, you know, criticizing brock Purty for not having.
He has all of them, and so.
There is like an upside to him, even though he has not demonstrated any consistent level of play. All right, last one, I don't want to do the Draymond question. I'm not into it right now.
Okay, Indy and Houston, Cleveland and Cincy all won this week with backup quarterbacks and have their team's position to make the playoffs. The coach of the year is mko Rice.
So I exactly right, that is correct. Listen.
I think what Stefanski's done with four different quarterbacks is fun. I think Shane Steichen's done a good job in Indy. I think that there are good candidates, but they are all, in my opinion, fighting for second place. I Demiko and winning this week with case keenum that that team had no hope, they had no belief. The defense is playing great. It's not all Stroud's been awesome, but they didn't have stroud this week, and the defense eight the Titans alive.
To me, it's Damiko Ryans with an absolute bullet All right, quick break, read.
The chat questions? Next? What's right? All right?
Uh?
So demon say, let's roll through these listener questions real quick, go ahead.
Daniel CHRISTI six says, would Deebo Samuel put up similar wins in decent numbers if they used him at quarterback?
No, because he's not a quarterback.
Like No, I don't think you could plug in a wide receiver and have him do what brock Purty does. I do think there are a dozen starting NFL quarterbacks who could.
No.
I don't think Justin I think Justin Fields. That was the idea when they drafted Trey was to have more of a dual threat. But the offense would look so different, but they would be, I mean, a wildly dominant running team.
No, I don't think you.
Could plug in Justin Fields in his current state, but I do think there are a bunch of guys you could plug in.
Next, Scott Fraser has a take Browning has been better than Burrow this year.
Well, Burrow was hurt, but they does speak to the fact that that first month of the year, when Burrow couldn't move and.
Statistically was the worst quarterback in football.
They should have at least given Jake Browning a shot and then maybe Burrow's healthy, then maybe Burrow doesn't suffer the wrist injury.
I don't know, but.
They acted like they didn't have a backup quarterback on the roster.
Next, do you think the Benkals like disserviced overall? Is this like is that a way bigger thing than what it is?
I mean, yeah, I mean it's been a it was a big topic on first things first, but I know you just you're more of a herd guy.
You're not really watching my show, but yeah, I wat I talked about it quite a bit. All right, next.
Elliott O, Yes, what is your favorite NFL classic type two take?
I mean it in the past, it has been calling the Bills exactly right this it will be replaced by uh, how do I say this nicely?
How the Niners get eliminated this year? That will replace it next?
How the Niners? It's funny, he said, the n Y I feel like you meant to say something knows negative four and two said Nick. Do you think it's possible that chief Snovershi is legit and have more in store, but are saving it until the playoffs?
Well, listen, I think they're using it more and more, and you're seeing it. You're singing in snap count or seeing it this past week, and that you saw Rashi and Justin Watson be Rashi was on the field almost the entire game. They're gonna continue to ramp them up, and you're also gonna see Travis Kelce on the field more. I think that I don't think they're saving Rashi. I think they are slowly working a rookie in until he's
fully kind of you know, into the offense. I think with Travis, they are trying to save him, and I think they were crazy cautious with Isaiah Pacheco. Now he also had you know, a cleanup on his shoulder to make sure he's healthy for the postseason. Uh go to Uh, oh, you're gonna ask the last two?
Go ahead.
Adrian Warez asked, what does the right family celebrate the wait? What does the right family celebrate the holiday? The holidays?
Oh?
We just uh, we'll see my mom, We'll see my sister. We'll do Christmas at our house.
Uh.
Sat this is the first year Demonse won't be in town for it.
Uh.
But Demanse's got good setup in on the West coast, so we'll face time with him.
And yeah, we just do.
We were all together for Thanksgiving and we'll all be together for next Christmas hopefully. But Demanday's out there working guy.
Listens.
We don't pay him for the podcast. We can't miss his actual job. He's got to make that money, all right. Uh, what's the last one?
Bar Bell? Bryce says, should the Seahawks roll with locks just for fun or put Gino back in? Last night was just awesome? Watch it actually exciting.
It was awesome. It was exciting, but you got it.
If Gino's healthy, ease the well.
No, I mean listen, great job by Drew Luck.
He did his job and he did awesome and maybe now a team will take a look at him. But you got to put the better player in, all right. See you guys on the herd around one eastern on First Things First at three and then right back here on Thursday, round ten thirty, See you guys.
Great job. Demanday, great job Blue duck folks. What's right? Hey, it's Nick right, Thank you so much for watching. Please do us a favor. Click subscribe.
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